I felt a sense of dread and foreboding as I learned from my phone about the attack on Heaton Synagogue on Thursday. Barnet, the area in which I live and which I represented in Parliament for 19 years, is home to a significant Jewish population; so I have long been aware of the heightened security risk the community faces.
It was sickening to see that risk manifest itself at a shul in Manchester when a violent extremist called Jihad came to murder Jewish people at prayer. All they were doing was gathering together to mark the most solemn and holiest day in the calendar of the Jewish faith. Yet now two of that congregation are dead and others gravely wounded – brave men who were willing to put their lives on the line to protect others.
Every Sabbath you will see volunteer security guards outside synagogues across the nation, trained up by the Community Security Trust which was created in response to the growing threat of antisemitic attacks. As those volunteers stand at their posts over the coming weeks, no doubt they will each be wondering if that will be day when terrorist violence erupts once again.
We should all be shamed and saddened that in modern Britain such measures are needed to protect a religious minority.
And we must reflect on the words of Chief Rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis. He pointed out that this crime comes in the wake of “an unrelenting wave of hatred against Jews”. He highlighted that “when there is the unjustified demonisation of Israel that feeds directly into anti-Jewish sentiment within the tone of Britain, and that then encourages extremism.”
Whilst culpability for this horror lies with the attacker, we cannot ignore the context of seemingly endless street protests where banners are held high, urging us to “globalise the intifada”. Inflammatory antisemitic language has consequences and they include a man turning up outside a synagogue with evil in his heart and a knife in his hands.
There has been an outpouring of support for the Jewish community following the tragic events of recent days, and that is welcome. But inevitably the caravan of media attention will move on swiftly. Whilst the spotlight stays briefly on anti-Jewish hatred and Islamist violence, let us learn lessons from what has happened and take action.
This is an opportunity to recalibrate the debate on the Gaza conflict. Let no one forget how it all started. On October 7 2023, Israel was invaded by an organisation whose stated aim is to wipe out every Jewish person on the planet. Israel’s citizens were humiliated, raped, kidnapped, and murdered. The country’s subsequent military action has been carried out to defend its people against the genocidal attacks which Hamas has said that, given the opportunity, they would repeat “again and again and again”.
Secondly, there is a clear case for amending the law on protests. I acknowledge that the majority of people taking part in pro-Gaza marches have done so peacefully and lawfully. But the minority of participants who openly promote hatred of Jewish people (albeit sometimes under badge of “anti-Zionism”) are a source of fear and intimidation to many.
At present, a march can only be banned if there is judged to be a risk of serious public disorder. The law should be amended to empower the police to take account of the cumulative impact of a series of demonstrations on community cohesion. Of course the right to protest is important. But when protests take place every week for months on end, blighted by extremists, and diverting police resources from keeping us all safe, it would be both justified and proportionate to stop them from going ahead. I have repeatedly called for this and welcome the indication from the Home Secretary this morning that the Government now accepts the case for this reform.